Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Message Text UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 01 STATE 269477 ORIGIN EUR-12 INFO OCT-01 ISO-00 PA-02 PRS-01 USIA-15 ISO R DRAFTED BY EUR P WJGEHRON ST APPROVED BY EUR P WJGEHRON EUR SOV - MR LEVITSKY S PRS - MR BROWN USIA IPS PE - MR KAREGEANNES ------------------056382 102230Z 53 O 101520Z NOV 77 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO AMEMBASSY MOSCOW IMMEDIATE UNCLAS STATE 269477 E O 11652 N A TAGS PFOR MO SUBJECT TEXT OF NOON BRIEFING ON MICROWAVES NOVEMBER 9 1 FULL TEXT NOON BRIEFING NOVEMBER 9 ON MOSCOW MICROWAVES CARRIED IN TODAY'S EUR WIRELESS FILE 2 THERE FOLLOWS STATEMENT ON MICROWAVE SITUATION AS MADE BY DEPARTMENT SPOKESMAN QUOTE STARTING SEPTEMBER 7TH THE LEVELS OF RADIATION HAVE INCREASED ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS FOR PERIODS OF LESS THAN ONE HOUR ON TWO SUCH OCCASIONS MAXIMUM INTENSITIES OF ALMOST 9 MICROWATTS WERE MEASURED ON THE EMBASSY ROOF MAXIMUM MEASUREMENTS IN OPEN EMBASSY OFFICE WINDOWS WITH SCREENS REMOVED DID NOT EXCEED 6 MICROWATTS PREVIOUS LEVELS FOR APPROXIMATELY THE LAST 18 MONTHS DID NOT EXCEED 2 MICROWATTS INSIDE THE BUILDING LET ME JUST UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 STATE 269477 RECALL TO YOU THAT THE CURRENT U S SAFETY STANDARD IS 10 000 MICROWATTS PER SQUARE CENTIMETER FOR UNLIMITED PERIODS OF TIME THE SOVIET OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY STANDARD IS 10 MICROWATTS PER SQUARE CENTIMETER FOR THE WORKING WEEK YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT FOR A MINUTE BEFORE YOU UNDERSTAND IT Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 WOULD YOU COMMENT ON THE BELIEF BY SOME PERSONS THAT THE MICROWAVES BEAMED AT THE EMBASSY COULD HAVE CAUSED THE HEALTH PROBLEMS THE ANSWER TO THAT ONE IS AS WE HAVE STATED REPEATEDLY THERE IS NO EVIDENCE TO DATE THAT THESE SIGNALS AT RECORDED LEVELS NOW OR AT ANY LEVELS IN THE PAST HAVE ADVERSELY AFFECTED THE HEALTH OF OUR EMPLOYEES IN ORDER TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE DELAY HEALTH EFFECTS IF ANY OF EXPOSURE TO LOW-INTENSITY MICROWAVE RADIATION OVER PERIODS OF MONTHS WE HAVE AS YOU KNOW CONTRACTED WITH JOHNS HOPKINS TO UNDERTAKE AN EXHAUSTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STUDY THE RESEARCH CONTINUES BUT WE DON'T EXPECT TO HAVE THE FINDINGS UNTIL THE ANALYSIS OF THE DATA COLLECTED IS COMPLETED IN JUNE 1978 THE FINDINGS WILL BE MADE PUBLIC AS SOON AS THEY ARE AVAILABLE ON THE QUESTION OF WHY THE PROTECTIVE SCREENING WAS INSTALLED IF THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE TO DATE OF A HEALTH HAZARD THE ANSWER IS THE SCREENING WAS INSTALLED DURING THE PERIOD OF ESCALATION IN 1975-76 OF THE INTENSITY OF RADIATION AS A PROPHYLACTIC MEASURE AS WE DID NOT KNOW HOW HIGH THE LEVELS WOULD GO UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 STATE 269477 AT THE SAME TIME WE WANTED TO ALLEVIATE THE ANXIETY OF THE STAFF AS A RESULT OF THE RADIATION THE SCREENING HAS HAD THE EFFECT OF ATTENUATING THE INTENSITY BY 90 PERCENT OR MORE WITHIN THE CHANCERY BUILDING SOME OF THE SCREENS WERE DESTROYED ON THE OFFICE FLOORS THAT WERE AFFECTED BY THE RECENT FIRE IN THE EMBASSY THEY ARE BEING REPLACED WE ARE CONTINUING TO PRESS THE SOVIETS TO TURN OFF THE SIGNALS AND ARE TAKING OF COURSE ALL POSSIBLE MEASURES MEANWHILE TO PROTECT OUR EMPLOYEES GETTING DOWN TO THE QUESTION THAT HAS BEEN MOST RECENTLY RAISED BY THE STORIES WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE STORY -I THINK IT IS AN AP STORY FROM MOSCOW -- REPORTED THAT 223 ADULTS REPRESENTING VIRTUALLY ALL THE EMBASSY STAFF AND THEIR SPOUSES HAVE BEEN GIVEN MEDICAL TESTS REPORTEDLY SHOWING THAT 1 OUT OF 29 TESTED HAD A MYSTERIOUS BLOOD CONDITION RESULTING IN ABNORMALLY HIGH LEVELS OF WHITE CELLS WE HAVE NOT DETECTED TOTAL WHITE BLOOD COUNTS WHICH Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 HAVE DEVIATED FROM THE NORMAL SPREAD IF YOU'RE GOING TO ASK ME WHAT THE NORMAL SPREAD IS I DON'T HAVE IT HERE BUT I THINK WE DO HAVE IT IN THE FILE THE VOLUNTARY BLOOD COUNT PROGRAM AT OUR EMBASSY HAS SHOWN A MILD DEVIATION IN LYMPHOCYTE COUNTS AFFECTING AT TIMES AS MANY AS ONE-THIRD OF THE PERSONS TESTED THESE ELEVATED COUNTS HAVE FREQUENTLY BEEN OBSERVED IN CONNECTION WITH VIRAL INFECTIONS AND INTESTINAL PARASITIC INFESTATIONS THESE ELEVATED COUNTS HAVE OCCURRED WITH EQUAL INCIDENCE AMONG INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE NOT WORKED OR LIVED IN AREAS OF THE EMBASSY SUBJECTED TO RADIATION THE ELEVATED LYMPHOCYTE COUNTS ARE NOT PERMANENT THEY RETURN TO NORMAL WITHIN A FEW WEEKS OF DEPARTURE FROM MOSCOW VANCE UNCLASSIFIED UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 04 STATE 269477 UNCLASSIFIED NNN Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Message Attributes Automatic Decaptioning X Capture Date 01-Jan-1994 12 00 00 am Channel Indicators n a Current Classification UNCLASSIFIED Concepts TEXT BRIEFING MATERIALS RADIATION MEASURING DEVICES Control Number n a Copy SINGLE Sent Date 10-Nov-1977 12 00 00 am Decaption Date 01-Jan-1960 12 00 00 am Decaption Note Disposition Action Released in Full Disposition Approved on Date Disposition Case Number 200604732 Disposition Comment Disposition Date 20-Dec-2007 12 00 00 am Disposition Event Disposition History Released in Full by FRANK PEREZ on 20-DEC-07 Disposition Reason Disposition Remarks Document Number 1977STATE269477 Document Source CORE Document Unique ID 00 Drafter WJGEHRON ST Enclosure n a Executive Order N A Errors N A Expiration Film Number D770416-0260 Format TEL From STATE Handling Restrictions n a Image Path ISecure 1 Legacy Key link1977 newtext t19771173 aaaackei tel Line Count 136 Litigation Code IDs Litigation Codes Litigation History Locator TEXT ON-LINE ON MICROFILM Message ID 106b0c1d-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc Office ORIGIN EUR Original Classification UNCLASSIFIED Original Handling Restrictions n a Original Previous Classification n a Original Previous Handling Restrictions n a Page Count 3 Previous Channel Indicators n a Previous Classification n a Previous Handling Restrictions n a Reference n a Retention 0 Review Action RELEASED APPROVED Review Content Flags Review Date 27-Jan-2005 12 00 00 am Review Event Review Exemptions n a Review Media Identifier Review Release Date n a Review Release Event n a Review Transfer Date Review Withdrawn Fields n a SAS ID 636306 Secure OPEN Status NATIVE Subject TEXT OF NOON BRIEFING ON MICROWAVES NOVEMBER 9 TAGS PFOR PDIP ASEC MO UR To MOSCOW Type TE vdkvgwkey odbc SAS SAS dbo SAS_Docs 106b0c1d-c288-dd11-92da-001cc4696bcc Review Markings Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Markings Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009 Margaret P Grafeld Declassified Released US Department of State EO Systematic Review 22 May 2009